Department of Communication and Media Research
Postdoctoral Positions in Researching Toxic Visual Contents (Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng) 80 %
Start of employment Earliest July 1, 2026, or by agreement, temporaryThe Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) is seeking two postdoctoral researchers. They will join the SNSF-funded project VIZTOX – Visual toxicity in the digital platform age (Link), led by Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng.
The position begins with a two-year contract (80% FTE) and could be extended for up to five years. The annual salary is CHF 82,371, in accordance with cantonal regulations.
Your responsibilities
The role of the postdoctoral researcher within the VizTox project can be tailored to the candidate's expertise and interests.
The postdoc may take on a more research-focused role, which could involve:
Alternatively, they may take on a more hands-on, research engineering–oriented role, which could involve:
The postdoc may take on a more research-focused role, which could involve:
- Conducting independent and collaborative research within the project's work packages, contributing to milestones and deliverables
- Publishing research findings and presenting results at conferences
- Contributing to project dissemination and outreach activities
- Co-mentoring doctoral researchers and supporting research capacity-building within the team
Alternatively, they may take on a more hands-on, research engineering–oriented role, which could involve:
- Supporting the technical development and infrastructure of the project
- Retrieving, managing, processing, and preparing multimodal data
- Developing and maintaining research tools, workflows, and computational pipelines
- Assisting project teams with technical and analytical needs
Your profile
- PhD degree (or close to finishing their PhD) in a relevant field, including (but not limited to): Communication Science, Computer Science, Data Science, Digital Humanities.
- A distinct research profile in researching online communication, that is demonstrated through publications or research tool development.
Relevant computational skills include (but not limited to):
- Image analysis or computer vision techniques
- Design, implement, and evaluate multimodal large-language-model (MLLM) pipelines for researching harmful visual content
- Natural language processing (NLP)
- Network analysis
Additional relevant expertise may include:
- Digital ethnography to studying online communities and content creators
- Critical visual analysis or visual culture research, semiotics
- Visual Discourse or narrative analysis of multimodal online content
- Comparative research of translational media practices
- Content moderation research focusing on visual harm
- Track record in studying harmful online content-especially misogyny, misinformation, or propaganda-is an advantage.
- The ability to take a leading role in the project's work on German-speaking online communities will be regarded as an advantage.
- Strong communication skills and strong teamwork orientation.
Information on your application
Please compile the following documents into a single PDF file and submit them via the UZH job portal (blue button) below:- Letter of motivation
- CV, clearly listing research experience and methods skills relevant to the project
- A one-page project description outlines the research ideas and methods you are interested in developing during the postdoctoral appointment
- 2 writing samples (e.g. journal publications, article-in-progress, PhD thesis)
- Relevant transcripts and certificates (e.g. transcripts from graduate study; a scan of your MA and PhD degree)
- Contact information of two references
Application deadline
The review of applications will start on February 1st, 2026. The positions will remain open until it is filled. For any inquiries regarding the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Jing Zeng.
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Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
More → https://www.uzh.ch/en/explore/work.html
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
More → https://www.uzh.ch/en/explore/work.html
Working at UZH
The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!
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